Sri Lanka ke cricket fans ke liye 2025 kuch khas nahi dikh raha. Sirf chaar Test matches. Haan, bas chaar! Angelo Mathews ne toh isse “quite sad” kaha hai, aur bilkul sahi kaha. Duniya ke bade bade teams — Australia, England, India — 15-20 Test matches khel rahe hain, aur Sri Lanka ko mil rahe hain sirf chaar. Ye kaisa insaaf hai?
Test Cricket ka Sannata
Sri Lanka, ek aisa desh jahan cricket dil se dil tak jata hai, ab Test cricket ke maidan mein khamosh hai. 2025 mein chaar Test matches—2013 ke baad sabse kam, agar Covid wale 2020 ko chhod dein. Mathews ne kaha, “Humne World Cup jeete hain, cricket ke liye itna kuch kiya, fir bhi humein Test cricket khelne ka mauka kyun nahi milta?”
- Kam Matches, Kam Mauke: Naye khiladiyon ke liye Test cricket mein apna jalwa dikhana mushkil ho raha hai. Jab saal mein sirf chaar matches hon, toh kaise koi apni jagah pakki kare?
- World Test Championship (WTC): Sri Lanka aur Bangladesh dono hi 12 Test matches khel rahe hain agle cycle mein, jabki Australia (22), England (21), aur India (18) aage nikal rahe hain. Ye gap dil todne wala hai.
Mathews ka yeh dard naya nahi hai. Is saal pehle, Sri Lanka ke Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva ne bhi Australia ke khilaf do-Test series se pehle yahi baat uthai thi. Lekin koi sunta hi nahi
Ek Chhota Sa Flashback
Yaad hai 1996 ka World Cup? Sri Lanka ne duniya ko hila diya tha. Arjuna Ranatunga ki team ne Australia ko final mein hara kar trophy uthai. Aur Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene jaise legends ne Test cricket mein Sri Lanka ka naam roshan kiya. Mathews khud 118 Test matches khel chuke hain, 8,167 runs ke saath, jo sirf Sangakkara (12,400) aur Jayawardene (11,814) se peechhe hain.
Lekin aaj? Aaj Sri Lanka ke naye khiladiyon ko wahi mauka nahi mil raha. Jab Mathews jaise khiladi, jo 38 saal ke ho chuke hain, retirement le rahe hain, toh naye khiladiyon ke liye jagah banani padti hai. Lekin jab matches hi nahi honge, toh kya fayda?
Ummeed ki Ek Kiran
Lekin thodi si ummeed bhi hai. Sri Lanka ke youngsters Test cricket ke liye josh se bhare hain. Mathews ne kaha, “Nayi generation Test cricket ke liye tadap rahi hai.” Yeh josh hi Sri Lanka cricket ka bhavishya hai. Agar ICC thodi si meharbani kare aur schedule mein balance laye, toh Sri Lanka phir se Test cricket mein apna dum dikha sakta hai.
- Zimmedari ICC ki: Mathews ka kehna hai ki har team ko kam se kam 10 Test matches saal mein milne chahiye. Yeh ek wajib maang hai, kyunki cricket ek global khel hai, na ki sirf teen bade teams ka khel.
- Sri Lanka ka Potential: Teams jaise South Africa, jinhone 13 Tests khele, dikhate hain ki chhoti teams bhi bade teams ko challenge kar sakti hain. Yaad hai 2019, jab South Africa ne India ko Test series mein kadi takkar di thi?
Aakhir Mein, Thodi Si Nirasha
Lekin sach toh yeh hai ki baatein toh hoti rahengi, lekin badlaav? Woh shayad hi aaye. Jab tak ICC aur bade boards apne fayde ke bare mein sochte rahenge, Sri Lanka jaise teams ke liye Test cricket ek sapna hi rahega. Mathews ka retirement ek yaad dilata hai—ek aisa khiladi jo 100 Tests khel chuka hai, uska dard sunne wala koi nahi. Agle saal jab Sri Lanka ke fans apni team ko Test cricket mein dekhnge, toh shayad woh bhi yahi kahenge: “It’s quite sad.”
